Thread: U.K.'s Plan To Limit Work Visas Draws Ire

JUNE 29, 2010.

U.K.'s Plan To Limit Work Visas Draws Ire

By CASSELL BRYAN-LOW

LONDON—The U.K. government began a consultation with the business community over plans to impose an immigration cap on workers coming into the country, an idea that faces opposition from industry interests who say it will restrict the recruitment of key talent.

The debate underscores the difficulty Britain's new government faces in balancing public concern about immigration and a need to revive the economy.

The cap, which applies only to skilled and highly skilled workers coming to the U.K. from outside Europe, is due to take effect in April. The government said Monday that it is also imposing temporary limits, effective immediately, to avoid a rush on applications ahead of the permanent new rules.

David Cameron, who became prime minister last month, made immigration a key part of his election platform. His Conservative Party argued high immigration levels have put pressure on public services and led to tensions in communities.

Workers coming to the U.K. from outside Europe account for less than 15% of all foreigners who arrive in the U.K. each year. The cap wouldn't apply to other large groups coming to the U.K., notably students and people from Europe.

Labour Party politicians and other opponents have called immigration caps arbitrary and unworkable, saying they would hinder Britain's economic recovery, among other things. They also say that the economy has benefited from the inflow of migrant workers to the U.K. over recent years.

The Liberal Democrats, with whom the Conservatives were forced to form a coalition government following inconclusive election results, had opposed an immigration cap during the election campaign. A party spokeswoman said the coalition effort involved compromises and that both parties were "united in seeking to meet the immense challenges that face the country."

Nicolas Rollason, a London-based partner at law firm Kingsley Napley LLP whose clients include multinational firms in finance and other industries, says employers are concerned about not being able to respond quickly enough when the economy turns around. "It will have a significant impact on businesses' ability to recruit—and plan recruitment—because you never know when it will run out," he said.

Among industries likely to be most affected are technology, finance and engineering, which rely heavily on overseas recruitment.

"It's a very, very crude tool," said Philip Trott, at the U.K.'s Bates Wells & Braithwaite LLP, in part because it doesn't take account of which industries are most in need of skills.

Mr. Trott points to experiences in the U.S., where caps on skilled worker visas typically have been heavily oversubscribed. U.S. high-tech companies have long been critical of the limits, arguing that they hinder employers' ability to secure qualified workers and that the U.S. risks losing its competitive edge in technology as a result.

"I recognize the importance of attracting the brightest and the best to ensure strong economic growth, but unlimited migration places unacceptable pressure on public services," said Home Secretary Theresa May in a statement Monday.

The number of immigrants coming to the U.K. surged over the past decade under a Labour government, particularly following the European Union's 2004 enlargement, which opened the way for workers from Eastern Europe to freely move to Britain.

Net migration—the number of people who come to live in the U.K. minus those that move overseas—spiked to more than 200,000 annually in some years from less than 50,000 in 1997.

Those numbers have declined in recent years, falling by almost a third to 163,000 in 2008, the latest statistics available. Labour politicians credit tougher border controls, though immigration specialists say the economic downturn played a significant role because there have been fewer jobs to attract people from overseas.

Conservative politicians have said they would like to see net immigration levels in the "tens of thousands."

Write to Cassell Bryan-Low at cassell.bryan-low@wsj.com

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142 ... 22646.html

So i guess England, like American do not have enought smart people in their country to fill key jobs. No talent among the millions of people that live there and none among the 300 million americans that live here.